Newcastle Lose Away To Manchester City But Display Some Much Needed Fighting Spirit

It was always going to be difficult to travel to the Etihad Stadium and take anything from the reigning Premier League title holders, Manchester City.

But Newcastle showed their resilience by pushing Manchester City all the way, eventually succumbing to a 2-1 defeat, leaving Rafael Benitez side with just one point from the twelve points available from the first four games of the 2018 / 2019 season.

Newcastle didn’t get off to the best of starts and were a goal behind in the tenth minute when Raheem Sterling curled a shot past Dubravka in the Newcastle goal.

That opening goal could have been perceived as the one that might open the floodgates, but Newcastle were to strike back on the half-hour mark when Salomon Rondon fed DeAndre Yedlin who stroked home the equaliser.

Manchester City pressed for a winner and it came seven minutes into the second half when Kyle Walker scored his first goal for the club. The England defender picked the ball up some thirty-yards from goal and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Newcastle refused to lay down and die but couldn’t muster that vital chance that might well have provided an equaliser.

Four games in and just one point on the board, not the best of starts and, after the international break, Arsenal (h) are next on the agenda.

Manchester City				Newcastle United
Sterling (10), Walker (52)				Yedlin (30)
Edderson				Dubravka
Walker				Yedlin
Stones				Lascelles
Laporte				Fernandez
Mendy				Clark			81
Fernandinho				Dummett
Mahrez			76	Diamé
Silva			89	Kenedy			54
Sterling				Ki Sung-yueng
Gabriel Jesus			58	Perez
Agüero				Rondon			73
Substitutes
Kompany			89	Murphy			81
Gündogan			76	Muto
Bernardo Silva			58	Joselu			73
Otamendi				Sterry
Foden				Darlow
Muric				Atsu			54
Delph				Longstaff

Game Statistics
24	Goal attempts	3
8	On Target	2
4	Corners	0
5	Fouls	13
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
78	%	22